If California were a country it would have the 5th largest economy in the world. Ahead of the UK. It is the 8th wealthiest state
in America. It has 40 million people. 11% of America’s population lives in California. BUT people are beginning to leave California as
the Homeless and mentally ill population has grown rapidly. The governor Gavin Newsom, the former Mayor of SF, devoted his recent
State of the State Address to the Homeless and EDP issue that is choking California. I was stunned when he made the following
statement ” There were more homeless and EDP’s living in the streets of Ca. in 2005 then there are in 2020.” I and others were stunned.
In 2005 as I travelled through California to visit our GA chapters the homeless and EDP population were living out in the streets
of the largest cities (LA, SF, SD and SACR.) Now we are being asked to deal with these growing problems in suburban and rural areas.
This population has exploded and expanded. With it has come more violence, crime, drug and sanitary issues. All the politicians have been
a dollar short and a day late dealing with this problem. So increasingly cities, towns, villages from the High Desert, the Mountains, Inland to
up North and South have appealed for us to help them to “Help Themselves” through the Guardian Angels program. And now even the
BEACH communities,
In the 1990’s we were asked to set up a chapter of the Guardian Angels in San Diego. We were asked to come into SE San Diego at
17th and Imperial where there were Gang Problems. The Gaslamp Quarter before it’s gentrification and Balboa Park. We had our hands full.
The Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach areas at the time were safe, secure and a retreat from the urban areas. Now those Beach communities
have seen their quality of life diminish and they are taking a stand to stem the tide. One of those measures is to form Guardian Angel Patrols
on foot and bicycles. To train citizens in self-defense and to organize a Junior Guardian Angels program to keep the young out of harm’s way
as they also learn to give back to the community. We will keep you informed of these growing movements that we the GA are leading
